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- 📅 · Period:
Oct 2017 – Oct 2018 // June 2021 – Oct 2021 💰 · Collaboration:
Research collaboration, Il Bullone, Fondazione Near Onlus.🏛 · Main facility:
+LAB, Politecnico di Milano, Italy🤝 · Partners:
1 academic/industrial partner and 1 non-profit organization, Italy (fabrication and manufacturing focus). More partners and follow-up are listed here.⭐ · My Role:
Master Thesis Student, Artist (2018 edition), 3D printing specialist - large format 3D printing (2021 edition)🏫 · My Affiliation:
Master Thesis Student in Design & Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano (Italy) (2018 edition) Research Fellow, Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano (Italy) (2021 edition)🏷️ · Keywords:
3D printing, sculpting, Codesign, arts, exhibition, collaboration, large-format 3D printing, sculpture, venus, david, artwork, expression, visual media, 3d modeling, parametric design.
Overview
Cicatr/ci is an art and research collaboration between +Lab, the 3D printing research laboratory of Politecnico di Milano, and Il Bullone and Fondazione NEAR Onlus, a national Italian non-profit organization for adolescents and young adults living with chronic diseases. The project explores 3D printing and sculpting as tools for individual and collective expression, translating the lived experience of illness and scars into sculptural artworks. In its 2018 edition, the project resulted in a collection of 45 small-scale sculptures, co-designed with B.Livers (members of the Il Bullone community), exhibited at La Triennale di Milano and later at additional venues, including the Gallery of Modern Art in Catania (2019) and the European Management Forum in Amsterdam (2020), with the collection currently featured on Google Arts & Culture. In its 2021 edition ("L'arte di ripartire"), the project shifted to large-format Fused Granular Fabrication (FGF) 3D printing, in collaboration with SuperForma, fabricating two-meter-scale sculptures inspired by the Venus of Milo and Michelangelo's David, exhibited again at La Triennale di Milano, showing the force of restarting shared by communities and groups after Covid-19.

2018 edition
Artist: Giuditta Ravalli
+LAB Team: Marinella Levi, Alessia Romani, Francesco Basciu, Andrea Mantelli, Valerio Fausti
B.Livers: More info available here
2021 edition
Artist: Giuditta Ravalli
+LAB Team: Marinella Levi, Alessia Romani, Angelo Zappalà
B.Livers: More info available here
In collaboration with SuperForma
My contribution (2018 edition):
- Design: Participated in ideation workshops with +Lab and BLive members; working on one artwork ideation. Worked on concept development and design of the one artwork (A-byss) using parametric design tools for sculpting.
- Additive manufacturing: Prototyped and fabricated a full artwork using using low-cost Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing, crafting, and painting techniques. Supported the fabrication of other artworks designed by the other participants, especially for the 3D printing fabrication.
- Graphics & visual: Designed graphic materials for promotional material of the first exhibition at La Triennale Milano (2018) and organization of the catalog drafts.
- Dissemination: Participation in community outreach events.
My contribution (2021 edition):
- Additive manufacturing: Prototyped and fabricated two full artwork using using large-scale Fused Granular Fabrication (FGF) and low-cost Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing. Working on the slicing and cutting techniques to fabricate support-free large-format parts for the 2-meter size artworks.
- Dissemination: Research publications.
Research and dissemination output connected to my work
- 📚 Publications: 1 Journal Article showcasing part of the components of the 2021 edition.
- 🎤 Presentations: Work presented at international fairs and industrial events, including Maker Faire Rome 2017 (2017)
- 📢 Dissemination & outreach: Work presented at art galleries and exhibitions, such as La Triennale in 2018 and 2021, and exhibited at international fairs, including Maker Faire Rome 2017; featured in videos. First collection shared on Google Arts & Culture.
- 3D printed scars to soothe the disease (Le cicatrici stampate in 3D per lenire la malattia ) Il Sole 24 Ore, Sep 2018. Italian newspress, virtual version
- 3D printed scars to soothe the disease (Le cicatrici stampate in 3D per lenire la malattia ) Il Sole 24 Ore, Sep 2018. Italian newspress, virtual version
- What does a scar tell? The 3D exhibition of young B.Livers (Cosa racconta una cicatrice? La mostra in 3D dei giovani B.Livers ) Corriere della Sera, Oct 2018. Italian newspress, virtual version
- 3D printing helps the sick (and healthy) face their scars in Cicatrici exhibit Voxelmatters, Nov 2018.
- The 'scars' of Covid on the David and the Venus of Milo: in Triennale the project of il Bullone (Le 'cicatrici' del Covid sul David e sulla Venere di Milo: in Triennale il progetto del Bullone ) La Repubblica, Oct 2021. Italian newspress, virtual version
- TMilan, the community looks (beyond) its own scars (Milano, la comunità guarda (oltre) le proprie cicatrici ) Il Sole 24 Ore, Oct 2021. Italian newspress, virtual version
Journal articles
- Romani A*, Perusin L, Ciurnelli M, Levi M (2024) Characterization of PLA feedstock after multiple recycling processes for large-format material extrusion additive manufacturing. Materials Today Sustainability, 25, 100636. DOI: 10.1016/j.mtsust.2023.100636
Artworks
- A-byss (2018) Google Arts & Culture. Available at: https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/a-byss/3AESJWc_b7KoUQ
Exhibition catalogs
- Cicatr/ci (2018) DeAgostini Scuola. Available at: https://sostieni.bullone.org/prodotto/libro-cicatrici/
